Conveyer frame connection



Aug. 5, 1952 A. w. DUNCAN CONVEYER FRAME CONNECTION 2 SHEETS--SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1947 g 1952 A. w. DUNCAN 2,605,887

CONVEYER FRAME CONNECTION Filed Dec. 12, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented Aug. 5, 1952 CONVEYER FRAME CONNECTION Angus Wellesley Duncan, Worcester, England, assignor of one-half to The Mining Engineering Company Limited, Worcester, England Application December 12, 1947, Serial No. 791,389 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-184) The tendency to concentrate output in mining practice, particularly in underground coal mining, is leading'to the use of belt conveyors using belts of greater width than has been usual in the past. Where such conveyors are employed in temporary locations the provision of a conveyor structure capable of rapid assembly and dismantling and of reasonable size and weight for transport in confined roadways is a difficult problem. Furthermore, such conveyor structure must possess strength and rigidity when assembled to withstand floor movement, and the component parts must be sufiiciently robust to withstand rough handling during transport.

Various forms of portable conveyor structure have been suggested including inverted troughs or bottom belt covering pans supported on stools or roller frames of tube or bar and plate construction.

The cover pans serve to space the supporting frames and maintain lateral rigidity, while permitting some vertical flexibility to follow floor undulations.

The present invention is applicable to such constructions and provides a light and robust structure as will appear from the description of a preferred form which will be given by way of example.

An important part of the invention comprises the formation of the connections between pans and frames in such a manner that transverse.

stubs are readily engageable in slots when assembling the structure and are then locked in pre-determined positions so that the axis of the joint between pan and frame is fixed. Preferably a tapered locking device is used, so that a tightening action draws the parts into position: for instance countersunk portions at the bottoms of the slots engaged by corresponding coned nuts or the converse or equivalent.

Transverse bars at the ends of the troughs and forming parts of the trough structure may have their ends extended to form the connecting stubs, so that the interlocked structure of the conveyor, while readily and quickly dismantled, is rigid and positively located when assembled.

Other parts of the invention are embodied in a preferred form of troughed belt conveyor which will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of part of a pan and a supporting frame with cover plate and troughed idler assembly not shown,

Fig. 2 is a. side view of a complete section of the conveyor structure,

Fig. 3 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

The supporting frame comprises two bars or tubes I extending transversely across the structure and bent down at right angles to ground level where they are welded to foot angles 2. Side plates 3 are welded to the upper vertical portions of the bars. Each side plate 3 has an outwardly extending right angle flange portion 4 between the bars and is provided with upwardly tapered slots 5 opening through its top edges beyond the bars. A cover plate 6 is welded to the horizontal portions of the bars I and extends to the side plates 3 to which it is also welded, thus giving a deep section at the frame corners.

Brackets 7, of suitable form to receive the return belt roller, are bolted in slotted holes 8 near the bottom edges of the side plates;

The ends of the return roller spindle are machined flat and the brackets I are arranged to receive the fiat portions so that the spindle is held against rotation. The slot hole mounting enables the roller to be adjusted for belt training purposes.

The troughed idlers 9, for carrying the top belt run IE3, form complete units assembled on a base channel II .having angle cleats I2 with slotted holes and these are bolted to the outwardly bent flange portions d of the side plates. The slotted holes permit adjustment for belt training purposes. I

The frame and idler assembly when bolted together form a unit of great strength and rigidity.

The upwardly directed slots 5 in the upper edges of the side plates are countersunk on the outside at the bottom of the slots as shown at I3 on Fig. 1.

The cover pan, which is conveniently of such a length that the frames are spaced at twice troughed idler spacing, comprises a trough pressing having round bars I4 transversely across each end and extending through flats I5 welded or riveted to the pressing walls. The ends of the bars are threaded and fitted with wing nuts I6 having a coned inner face complementary to the countersink I3. The horizontal portion of the pressing is curled upwards around the bar Id at each end and welded so, that the bar forms part of the structure.

Angle brackets ll of suitable form to receive a troughed idler are attached to the sides of the pressing trough at the center.

Both support and trough can be symmetrical about both longitudinal and transverse centre lines in plan, simplifying assembly.

It will be understood that the transverse stubs of the bars I4 fit reasonably accurately at the bottom of the taper slots 5 in the frame side plates and finger tightening of the coned nuts l8 locks the nut cones in the countersinks to secure the pan and frame structure rigidly together and prevent the stubs from jumping out of the slotse'.

The level of the return belt run [8 is such that it is visible below the cover pans to facilitate belt training adjustments.

The complete structure, with its great lateral rigidity, retains some flexibility in the vertical direction when the wing nutsare hand-tightened, and cannot be readily distorted by local floor movement owing to the definite location of the connection between pans and frames.

t will be appreciated that the round bars :used in the construction of the supporting frame vare the only surfaces with which the return belt can come in contact and thus guards are not necessary.

I claim: 1. In a conveyor belt supporting structure of the type wherein cover ,pan elements and supporting frame elements spaced thereby .are reinovably connected by transverse connector members on one of said elements for removable seating in open slots in the other o'fisaid elements, the improvement comprising complementary vconed portions on said connector members 4 and said slotted elements at the bases of said slots to prevent removal of said connector members from said slots While permitting pivotal movement between said elements, said connector members comprising bolts and respectively cooperative Wing nuts, and said coned portions comprising a cone on each Wing nut and countersinks in saidtslotted ,elementsrespectively surrounding the base of aIslot. r

2. In a structure as defined in claim 1, in which the said bolts are extensions of bars welded across the ends of said cover pan elements to provide a rigid support at each end of said pan elements.

- ANGUS W ELLESLEY DUNCAN.

'B'EFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the -file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS zFrance Oct. '18, 1.937

(Addition to No. 757,345) 

